Mulberry Pre-School

Mulberry Preschool Valley Park Community Centre, Pilgrims Close, Chandler's Ford, Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO53 4ST

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 25 April 2016 1 March 2011

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Effectiveness of the leadership and management Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding 1

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This inspection: Outstanding 1

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding 1

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This provision is outstanding

 The manager and committee are actively involved in all aspects of the running of the pre-school. They show a highly successful drive for improvement and seek the views of staff, parents and children to provide the best possible environment for the children.  The staff observe the children accurately and make excellent use of detailed assessments to ensure that they provide high levels of challenge to all children. All children make excellent progress from their starting points.  Staff know children exceptionally well and plan extremely challenging activities tailored to the interests and specific learning needs of each child. The children settle extremely quickly, and form trusting and close relationships with the staff and the other children.  The staff have extremely positive partnerships with parents. The parents are fully involved in their children's learning and receive exceptionally high levels of support

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This provision is outstanding

from staff.  The partnerships with other professionals are well established, which ensures that children consistently gain the full support that they need to promote their welfare, care and learning.  The staff consistently promote a healthy lifestyle. For example, they provide extensive physical challenges indoors and outdoors, and children thoroughly enjoy exercising and learning new skills.

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

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What the setting needs to do to improve further

 continue to extend methods to monitor staff practice.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector had a tour of the pre-school and invited the manager to take part in a joint observation.  The inspector observed the quality of staff interactions with children.  The inspector held discussions with managers, management committee and staff, at appropriate times during the inspection.  The inspector took into account the views of parents spoken to on the day.  The inspector looked at various documents, including policies and procedures, risk assessments, staff training records, records for children and evidence of the suitability of staff.

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Effectiveness of the leadership and management is outstanding

The manager ensures staff have a robust understanding of the action to take if they have any concerns about a child. Safeguarding is effective. The manager places an exceptionally strong focus on improvement. Staff have regular training, which has an extremely positive impact on the quality of the learning experiences that the staff provide. For example, children thoroughly enjoy using innovative resources and rich outdoor activities that have helped to strengthen their early writing skills. The manager monitors staff practice vigilantly. She is aware that further strategies are required to ensure that standards remain exceptionally high. The manager is actively involved with tracking children's progress to identify where staff can swiftly implement additional support to meet children's needs as well as possible.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Children thoroughly enjoy inspiring activities. For example, they had great fun exploring and investigating the flow of water. Staff encouraged very young children to think about how to move objects, while older children showed excellent imaginative skills when working out how to extend the guttering to water the plants. The staff skilfully support children's language, literacy and mathematical development. For example, they ask thought-provoking questions and listen attentively to the children's responses. They take children on enjoyable visits locally, such as to the shops and children show a growing awareness of personal risk in regard to road safety. Children participate eagerly, and confidently count out money, excited and ready to buy fruit for their friends to eat at snack time.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding

Staff provide an extremely welcoming environment. They nurture children's emotional well-being, and consistently encourage children to work together and to listen to, and respect, others. Children benefit from an extensive range of experiences that promote their understanding of families and communities beyond their own. Children's behaviour is excellent. Staff are extremely good role models to them, and they consistently praise children's achievements and positive behaviour, so children know what is expected. Staff place a high focus on providing children with the confidence and skills to make their own decisions and creations. For example, children decided to create flags independently for their sand castles and had immense pleasure in showing these to their parents.

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Outcomes for children are outstanding

Children learn to add and to subtract, and they develop an excellent understanding of letters and sounds. They are self-motivated and eager to learn. They confidently express their views and ideas, and progress rapidly in gaining valuable skills for school.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 109900 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 824913 Type of provision Full-time provision Day care type Childcare - Non-Domestic Registers Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Age range of children 2 - 5 Total number of places 30 Number of children on roll 44 Name of provider Mulberry Pre-School Committee Date of previous inspection 1 March 2011 Telephone number 023 802 61616

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Setting details

Mulberry Preschool opened in 1989 and registered with Ofsted in 2001. It is located in Chandlers Ford, Hampshire. The pre-school opens during school terms and operates on Mondays and Thursdays from 9am until 3.30pm, and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am until 12noon. The pre-school is in receipt of funding for the provision of free early education for children aged two, three and four years. There are 12 members of staff employed to work with children, all of whom hold relevant childcare qualifications.

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Setting details

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

procedures set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Setting details

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Setting details

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Setting details

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